November Rains

Monday, December 08, 2014

It’s been a really challenging season to say the least.The long winter and late spring seemed to
have taken a toll on the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan Steelhead fishery.Outings that typically would have produced
multiple returns left us scratching our heads with tails between our legs.

Theories abound as to which, where, why, and
when the fishery will pop and it will be business as usual but we continued to
wait for this to become reality.As with each facet of life confidence plays a major component in the success equation.

This
season we have witnessed and experienced a degradation of this variable.Water conditions and locations that we deemed
“money” dealt us a humbling hike out of the river basin.

Fortitude and conviction also factor into the
formula.Multiple hours were logged drifting
seams, runs and deep holes to no avail.It seemed as though this may be the season that never was.

Pessimistic outlooks become contagious and
the ability to save face dwindles exponentially after each failure.Just when it all seemed to be for not a mild
spell accompanied by rain hit the forecast for the Great Lakes Region.A quick thaw and decent bump ensued and a
flicker of hope shone on the horizon.If
it were to happen it seemed as though this may finally be the catalyst.

Schedules were rearranged and absences booked
in order to arrive under optimum conditions.Just when it all seemed like it wouldn’t come together it finally
did.It wasn’t epic by no means but
certainly enough to restore our tattered confidence and once again reignite an
almost dwindled flame.

Enough cannot be said about taking things for granted and this Season has repeatedly preached this leasson.

It sure felt nice to finally once again drift water knowing fish are present, willing, and able. It was as equally nice to see some brand new players in the system fresh from the lake.

Perhaps this was a mere coincidence but I certainly hope it plays out
equally across my typical haunts.

I plan
to test this theory in the coming days over at the cabin in Michigan.

Monday, October 13, 2014

It's been a long time since my poetic narrative and/or perverse perspective have adorned this humble blogs pages. Truth be known I have not wet a line since my return from Alaska in early May. Piscatorially I had become burned out. So much so that I couldn't muster up the ambition to tell the tale of the second epic AK adventure. Too much of a good thing I guess...

There is no better way to end a Steelheading season than on a high note like the AK trip but after that had played out it was sincerely time to check out for a while. I have always taken a moderate reprieve from the fishing scene come late Spring but this time around it seemed to be way more extreme.

Summer is time to recharge my batteries. A time to re-instill the passion through abstinence.
In order to go as hard as I do from October through to May I need to shut it all down and allow my other interests to consume my time and attention. What this does is allows me to approach the river fully charged in the fall with a rekindled spirit once the rains come and the temperatures plummet.

Well as fate would have it both occurred somewhat earlier than anticipated this fall.
The stars aligned and the rains came early along with unseasonably cool temperatures. The usual indicators were screaming green light so we made the trek up the lake to seize the opportunity.

The winds were extreme and we fished second water all day but we toughed it out and managed to turn a few in our usual haunts. It was a nice segway into what I hope to be a stellar 2014/2015 Fall/Winter season.

To the religious followers of this Blog I thank you for your patience and persistence. The blogger hits counter broke 101,000 even without any new posts in the past 5 months. It's nice to see the traffic even when there is no new content.

I hope to be somewhat regular with my posts in the coming months and provide some decent content for your enjoyment so keep stopping by and chime in once and a while...the comments are always appreciated.

Thursday, May 01, 2014

Well the time has come. It's been a a little bit in the planning but she is finally before us. The return to the Situk...Yakutat Alaska.
Hopefully things all come together with the weather and the river water levels and such.
Sure would be nice to tie in a couple crazy 40" slabs like Sean Donahue did last week. All things aside it should be yet another epic trip.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Well I was pleasantly surprised a few weeks back by a package awaiting my arrival on the porch up at the cabin. My good friends at Woodstock Lines and The Anglers Connection sent me an awesome sampling of their outstanding fly line backing as well as some of their floating monofilament to run through the paces. The backing colours are sharp, crisp, and sexy and will look outstanding on any reel to colour accent as well as serve it's intended reel backing purpose. For those of you in need of some quality Dacron for your Fly or Centerpin reels backing needs look them up here at www.theanglersconnection.com or click on their banner in the sponsors section of the blog.
The floating mono has been fishing fine so far and banked a fair share of Michigan chromers. I plan to really put it to the test on some of those giant Alaska fish later this week.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Well the clock has been ticking and we are officially starting the countdown. Only 17 days away until we visit one of the last remaining Frontiers left on this plant...Alaska. For those that are not aware, Yakutat Alaska is home to Mount St Elias, The Hubbard Glacier, Russell Fiord, and the world renowned Situk River. The Situk boasts the planets largest self sustaining wild population of Steelhead. Fish in the 40" class are not uncommon and annual run numbers in excess of 8000 can be experienced. The freestone glacier fed river runs some 20 miles from it's headwaters at Situk Lake through the Tongass National Forest where it eventually drains into the Gulf of Alaska. The only access to the river is at the 9 mile bridge via the forest service road. Here you hike up river and wade fish or float down river some 14 miles in a drift boat towards the take out at the estuary. It's truly a one of a kind self guided fishery that affords one the opportunity of double digit days, 40" class fish, Coastal Brown Bears, Black Bears, Moose, Bald Eagles, wolf and lynx all encompassed within the boundaries of the worlds largest remaining Temperate Rainforest...The Tongass. It's truly an epic adventure about to unfold...
**with the exception of the Steelhead snaps all pics contained withing the slide show are courtesy of Google images. Thanks Google!!

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About the Author

I'm a Great Lakes Steelheader, aspiring author, point and shoot photographer, and average everyday run of the mill POS. Residing at the southern most tip of Lake Huron I find myself centrally located to some of the worlds best Steelheading opportunities. My heart truly lies in chasing the wild chromers of Lake Huron but I can also be found exploring my new found love of Michigan's West side flows and countryside.